>Gov. Christie signs bill allowing N.J. residents to send children to public schools in other towns
Published: Sunday, September 12, 2010, 9:00 AM
September 12, 2010, 4:06 PM
Jessica Calefati/The Star-Ledger
https://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/09/gov_christie_signs_bill_allowi.html
TRENTON — Parents dissatisfied with the quality of their local public schools can now send their children to classrooms beyond district boundaries — in some cases at taxpayer expense.
Sponsored by Assembly Democrats Mila Jasey, Joan Voss and Paul Moriarty, a new law allows up to 10 percent of a district’s students to attend any other public school in the state whose enrollment is not at capacity. If more than 10 percent of a district’s students seek enrollment in new schools, it’s unclear what criteria that district would use to select which students are allowed to leave.
The bill also requires home districts to provide and pay for students’ transportation to new schools up to 20 miles away, a significant financial responsibility the bill’s sponsors did not negate.
“No doubt, some students who find themselves stifled at their current school would prosper in a neighboring school district,” said Voss (D-Bergen). “But we also need to be fair and mindful of the necessity to balance the needs of students with costs ultimately borne by taxpayers.”
https://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/09/gov_christie_signs_bill_allowi.html
